The present invention relates to an actuating device for components, in particular for components of a motor vehicle. The actuation and/or control of various motor vehicle components such as shift transmissions or camshaft adjustment systems with the aid of electric motors is known from the related art. The term shift transmissions refers to automated transmissions based on manual transmissions and using essentially similar technologies. These include electronic clutch management (ECM), automated shift transmission (AST), uninterrupted shift transmission (UST), parallel shift transmission (PST), and electric shift transmission (EST).
In the related art, such actuating devices have one or more electric motors for actuating the respective components.
Electronically commuted (EC) motors are often used for this purpose in the related art. These motors have a stator having a rotating rotor inside. Furthermore, these motors have a control device, which has a logic device and a power device. The logic device is used to control the rotation of the rotor within the stator. The power device ensures the power supply.
Controlling a plurality of, for example, four, electric motors via a central control device or a central logic device is known from the related art.
A cable connection must be provided between the central logic device and the individual motors for this control. These cable connections have a plurality of plug-and-socket connections which usually represent unreliability factors, because in a motor vehicle specifically the entire actuating device is subjected to constant vibrations and therefore the plug-and-socket connections must be very high quality. In addition, the individual connections require a substantial installation space. Finally, the individual components such as cables, plugs, bearings, and seals between the individual elements also represent a significant cost factor in the manufacture of the actuating device.
FIG. 1 shows an actuating device according to the related art. It has four electric motor units 2, each of which has an electric motor 3. Each of electric motor units 2 has a housing 5, in which power devices 4 and logic devices 6 are situated in addition to motors 3. Together with trigger devices 6, power devices 4 form the power devices for actuating motors 3.
Each of housings 5 has a connecting device 7, which engages with first plug connector 8. Power is supplied from a battery 30 via this connecting device 7 and plug connectors 8. In addition, each individual housing 5 has a second connecting device 17, which engages with a second plug connector 18.
This second connector 17 and second plug connector 18 are used for connecting bus conductors 10, via which power devices 4 and logic devices 6 are connected to system logic device 20. It is apparent that in this way a plurality of conductors and thus also connectors and/or contact plugs are needed. As mentioned previously, these contact connections represent a source of faults within the actuating device, in particular in light of the fact that the actuating device is permanently exposed to vibrations.
Bus conductors 10 are also connected to the logic devices via connecting devices 27 and plug connectors 28, which represents a further source of faults for the overall system. The battery voltage is supplied to the logic device via leads 15 and 16.